SYDNEY (AFP) - World-famous Australian "crocodile hunter" and television environmentalist Steve Irwin has been killed by a stingray blow to the chest while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef.

The larger-than-life Irwin, 44, known for his fearlessly enthusiastic handling of even the deadliest of wildlife, was killed when a stingray barb punctured his heart during underwater filming off northeastern Australia.

"He came over the top of a stingray and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said the ebullient Irwin's longtime producer John Stainton, who was with him at the time on Monday....

Chas from Phoenix: "appears to be so accidental"? Are you suggesting a conspiracy? Or are you suggesting that God struck him dead because he was an evolutionist? Would a rare death by sting-ray be any less "ironic" if Steve was a Christian (in the sense that he met the criteria for "Christian" as laid down by the SermonaaAudio Confession of Faith)? Mike from NJ: Was Steve more "puffed up" than you, or I , or anyone else on SermonAudio? What actions of his cause him to be described as "puffed up". Will you too not be "brought down" in the sense of experiencing physical death?Calvin1: You actually believe that God predestined Steve to "pride"? What "prideful" things did he do to give you that opinion? How do you know that God smote him and did not just allow the "smoting" to occur? I have never been so happy with "separation of church and state" as I am since I discovered this forum. Some of you are very Christ-like in your comments, but some of you Elmer Gantrys give me cause for grave concern.

Despite the precautions they took, they evidently had not enough humility. One cannot predict what domestic animals, let alone wild, will do (fallacy of induction), so a little fear in this business is healthy.